DEFENCE
The Garibaldi will carry Italy's Harrier II Plus aircraft on their first task
Italy deploys Hairier
II Plus for first time
ANDREA SPINELLI/GENOA
ITALY HAS DEPLOYED its McDonnell Douglas Harrier II
Plus operationally for the first time
on the aircraft carrier Garibaldi as
part of a task force covering the
withdrawal of United Nations
forces from Somalia.
The Harrier II Plus aircraft,
assigned to the Gruppo Aeri
Imbarcati, were delivered to the
NEWS IN BRIEF
• SNECMA-MIKOYAN DEAL
French engine manufacturer
Snecma is hoping to con
clude a licence-production
agreement with Mikoyan in
the next few weeks, accord
ing to Snecma chairman
Bernard Dufour. The two
companies have been
involved in prolonged nego
tiations about a licensing
agreement covering the
Snecma-Turbomeca Larzac
04-R20 engine for Mikoyan's
MiG-AT jet trainer.
• PATRIOT ORDER
Tokyo Electron has ordered
a new Patriot air-defence
missile-operator tactics
trainer from Lockheed
Sanders for supply to the
Japan Air Self-Defence
Force. The $9.9 million con
tract also incudes the
upgrade of an existing train
er system.
navy in December 1994. The air
crew, however, have been training
in the USA and only now are
deemed to be combat ready.
Sources say that an Italian navy
task group is due to leave from the
Brindisi naval base between 20 and
22 January. The contingent will
form part of a larger multi-national
fleet, including French, UK and
US Marine Corps warships.
Along with the three Harriers
on die Garibaldi will be four army
aviation Agusta A. 129 Mangusta
attack helicopters. Joint training
using the Harriers and Mangustas
in concert to provide close air-
support has been carried out in
the past few weeks.
The Italian task force includes
some 600 paratroopers and
marines. These troops would be
deployed by helicopter as part of a
cover force, should Somali gueril
las attempt to harass the with
drawing UN forces.
The troops would be air
deployed by the recently formed
Nucleo Lotta Anfibia. This unit
employs Sikorsky SH-3D and
Agusta AB-212 helicopters in the
amphibious-assault role.
Both types have been modified,
with the removal of all anti-sub
marine-warfare equipment and
the fitting of machine guns and
rocket pods.
The Italian armed forces are
looking to the experience of the
Somali operation to feed into the
creation of its planned amphibi
ous brigade. The task-force
deployment is expected to last at
least until the end of March. •
Germany favours France's
spy-satellite development
GERMANY WILL JOIN the French Helios 2 intelli
gence-gathering satellite project,
but only on condition that France
also commits to developing an
active-array radar "spy" satellite as
a follow-on programme.
German defence minister
Volker Riihe met with his French
counterpart Francois Leotard,
along with the Italian and Spanish
defence ministers, on 13 January
to discuss the project. The two
southern European countries
appear to be on the brink of
rejoining the Helios 2 project.
Ruhe says: "Germany is inter
ested in joining the Helios 2 pro
gramme, but this must be
contingent on a much more ambi
tious active-array radar satellite."
The Helios 2 will be equipped
with infra-red and high-resolu
tion optical sensors. It is intended
that it will be deployed in 2001.
The active-array satellite is tenta
tively scheduled for deployment
in 2005, and will be all-weather
capable, which Helios 2 is not.
The development of an inde
pendent "spy" satellite capability
has gained impetus, claim French
sources, as concern has grown
over the access to US intelligence
-satellite data. They claim that the
US Department of Defense has
held back some satellite-derived
intelligence about both Bosnia
and Iraq.
Discussing his country's deci
sion to reconsider the Helios 2,
Spanish defence minister Julian
Garcia Vargas says: "Spain is a
partner in Helios 1. The Madrid
Government has decided to
review our position and come
back into the Helios 2 pro
gramme, because, with four par
ticipating countries, the project is
taking on a very strong European
character."
Matra Marconi Space has
industrial leadership of the Helios
II programme. Were Germany to
join, then Daimler Benz
Aerospace would also become a
partner. Daimler Benz and
Aerospatiale are discussing the
prospect of bringing together
their space divisions, with a reso
lution expected by the middle of
this year. •
Raytheon delivers first U-125A
THE FIRST OF UP TO 27 Raytheon Aircraft U-125As ear
marked for the search-and-rescue role has been delivered to
Japan, where mission-system performance testing is now being
carried out by Fuji Heavy Industries. Fuji is Japan's prime-sub
contractor on the programme. The formal handover of the first
aircraft to the Japan Air Self-Defence Force will take place in
the first quarter of this year.
FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 25 - 31 January 1995 17